Turing AI Fellowships

Turing AI Fellowships is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) / The Alan Turing Institute. The Turing AI Fellowships support leading researchers across UK universities and institutions to build a strong national AI research and innovation ecosystem. They are designed to retain and attract international research talent in AI.

Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowships (invite only) – UKRI Funding opportunity: Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowships (invite only) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) , Medical Research Council (MRC) , Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) , Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) , Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) , Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Award range: £500,000 - £2,187,500 16 December 2025 9:00am UK time 24 February 2026 4:00pm UK time This funding opportunity is for established researchers from across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit, without a background in core artificial intelligence (AI) research, who want to build domain relevant AI capability and develop advanced AI approaches to tackle a specific research challenge in their chosen field.

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline application. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,187,500. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

The funding is subject to final budget approvals. Projects can be up to three years in duration and must start on 1 October 2026. You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful outline application.

It is not expected that the scope or funding requested for full applications will differ significantly from the successful outline. The overall cost requested from EPSRC at the full application stage cannot be more than 10% above the value of the outline application. The maximum FEC for all applications is up to £2,187,500.

You are advised to contact us if you have questions about this before submitting. This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible .

EPSRC is leading this funding opportunity on behalf of UKRI, therefore EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page .

You can apply from any research domain across UKRI’s entire remit.

You can apply for a Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowship if: you are an established researcher without a background in core AI research you would benefit from the time and flexibility the fellowship will afford you to build domain relevant AI skills and capability you have a vision for how the development of advanced AI systems and approaches could enable potentially transformative new avenues in your research and that of your broader community Diverse career paths mean that no standardised eligibility criteria will be set.

However, the time dedicated to the fellowship must be hosted by an eligible organisation within the UK for the duration of the fellowship. You can hold the fellowship with a joint position between an eligible organisation and another sector. However, the eligible organisation must function as host organisation for the fellowship and the Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowships should be your main identity.

You should ensure that you are aware of and comply with any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place. We recommend you start your application early, liaising with your host organisation who may also be able to provide additional advice and guidance. Who is not eligible to apply Those not eligible to apply are: researchers not hosted by an eligible research organisation applicants with a background in core AI research.

For example, a researcher from a core AI research discipline, or a researcher who has spent most of their career working on development of frontier AI models applicants who have not been invited to do so following an unsuccessful outline application Project co-leads and international researchers Applications can only include project co-leads or project co-leads (international) in specific circumstances.

The AI collaborator can be included as either a ‘project co-lead’ or ‘project co-lead (international)’ if they meet the below requirements. For job-share applications, one of the applicants will be listed as the ‘project co-lead’. No other co-leads are permitted.

How to include an AI collaborator The AI collaborator can be included as a project co-lead if they meet the standard eligibility for this role. The AI collaborator can only be included as a project co-lead (international) if they making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement or the UKRI-IIASA agreement.

Otherwise, if based outside the UK or not at an eligible UK organisation, the AI collaborator should be included as a project partner on the application. Please note that project partners cannot receive funding from the grant unless in specific circumstances. See further information about project partners on the EPSRC website .

How to include a job-share fellow Only one applicant for any joint application should be listed as a fellow and the other as a project co-lead, as the UKRI Funding Service functionality does not support both applicants to be listed as a fellow. We will recognise both applicants as a fellow.

The following examples set out the only options available to applicants for including project co-leads or project co-leads (international): you are allowed two project co-leads if you are applying as part of a job-share and have a UK based AI collaborator listed as a project co-lead.

You must not add any project co-leads (international) or any more than these two project co-leads you are allowed one project co-lead and one project co-lead (international) if you are applying as part of a job-share and have an AI collaborator who is making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement or the UKRI-IIASA agreement.

You must not add any more project co-leads (international) or project co-leads if you are not applying as part of a job-share and have an eligible UK based AI collaborator listed as a project co-lead you are allowed a maximum of one ‘project-co lead’ and no ‘project-co lead (international)’ if you are not applying as part of a job-share and have an AI collaborator who is making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement or the UKRI-IIASA agreement you are allowed a maximum of one project-co lead (international) and no project co lead if you are not applying as part of a job-share and do not have an AI collaborator eligible as a project co-lead or a project co-lead(international) you must not include any project co-leads or project co-lead (international)s.

As an AI expert is mandatory for this funding opportunity, if there are no co-leads identified, the AI expert would need to be listed as a project partner. We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder. Find out more about EPSRC’s resubmissions policy .

Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances.

This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process. This funding opportunity aims to support the delivery of the UK government AI Opportunities Action Plan (AIOP) by investing in up to 12 Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowships.

Researchers without a background in core AI research will develop domain relevant AI capability, using it to advance progress against a challenge-driven research problem in their home domain. This funding opportunity will form part of a suite of investments supporting the government’s AIOP ambitions. Funding for this opportunity is subject to final budget approval.

It is expected that successful fellows focus primarily on their research and, on average, a minimum of 50% full time equivalent (FTE) commitment is expected over the lifetime of the award.

Funding opportunity objectives The objectives of this funding opportunity are: to enable leading researchers from a diverse range of backgrounds outside of core AI research to build domain relevant AI capability and knowledge, and tackle a specific research challenge to drive transformative change and accelerate the adoption and utilisation of AI across multiple domains, the research base and wider economy, though community leadership to enable engagement and collaboration within or between academic and non-academic partners to deliver AI-enabled challenge-driven research to support the career development of leading researchers, contributing to a diverse research community with increased AI skills and knowledge This funding opportunity is aimed at established researchers without a background in core AI research but a vision for how the use of advanced AI techniques could enable potentially transformative new avenues in their research and that of their broader community.

This funding opportunity is targeted at applicants who will benefit from the flexibility and time the fellowship will provide to enable them to build domain relevant AI skills and capability. Alongside the development of your own AI skills and capability, research leadership skills, and future career direction, the fellowship should also deliver high-quality domain-specific research that embeds AI approaches.

You will be expected to undertake professional development and upskilling activities in technical AI and demonstrate how your enhanced AI capability will be applied to drive transformative change within your discipline.

While you are not expected to be leading AI experts by the end of the fellowship, you should be equipped to lead a team that can effectively apply interdisciplinary AI techniques to deliver world-class AI-enabled research outcomes.

You should be established in your field, with a demonstrated ability to lead a research-focused group and drive research directions and the capability to drive broader adoption of AI approaches across your domain. This could be demonstrated by, but not limited to, receipt of significant funding or leading significant research programmes or workstreams or managing your own independent group in or outside academia.

In any case, you should demonstrate why you consider it appropriate to describe yourself as established in your domain. For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

develop a high-quality programme of ambitious, novel and creative research challenge-driven activities, where the integration of AI enables potentially transformative new approaches to tackling a specific research challenge in your domain demonstrate the appropriateness and timeliness of the Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowships to support your professional development and research ambitions co-create and collaboratively deliver the programme with academic and non-academic partners or stakeholders to ensure their research will benefit the wider society and economy demonstrate a clear vision of how AI will be embedded in your research within and beyond the fellowship, providing confidence that you have the right expertise and structures in place to deliver on this vision.

For example, through your mentor(s), AI collaborator and appropriate access to compute and data collaborate with an established AI specialist or researcher who will support your development and collaborate on the planned research throughout the life of the fellowship take ownership of your learning journey, both in terms of developing technical AI skills and other softer skills.

For example, leadership, collaboration, entrepreneurship, mentorship, communication, identifying and pursuing potential training opportunities which will enhance and accelerate your learning develop the skills and careers of your research team, mentoring and developing the independent researchers and innovators of the future enhance your position of leadership in the national and international research community, championing broader inclusive AI use across their research community be an active part of the Turing AI fellows cohort as detailed in the following section embed the principles of responsible AI and responsible research and innovation (RRI) throughout your activities embed considerations of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in your fellowship have a vision for your future research and how the fellowship will support it beyond the length of the funding This funding opportunity is expected to be highly competitive and as such you are encouraged to ensure you demonstrate your ability to meet these expectations.

At this full application stage you are expected to expand on your ambitious vision for your research which details the potential for impact in and beyond your domain, as well as the transformative potential of embedding AI within the approach. It is expected that you further develop this vision and the approach with input from your AI collaborator. Further details can be found in the Collaboration with an AI expert section.

Flexibility should be built into the programme to adapt the planned approach to delivering the proposed outcomes, if appropriate, as your AI skills and understanding grow. You are expected to frame your proposals around clearly defined, domain-specific research challenges, working closely with stakeholders across and beyond academia to develop a research programme with the potential for impactful outcomes through AI embedded approaches.

The fellows proposed programme of research is expected to: demonstrate how AI can accelerate progress or unlock new capabilities in the applicant’s domain which wouldn’t be possible otherwise tackle problems that are recognised as urgent or high value by relevant academic or non-academic communities deliver solutions that could lead to new tools, services, or processes with significant impact We recognise that AI will have a transformational impact in many domains, both on the way research is done and the pace of progress.

We welcome applicants from all research domains across the breadth of UKRI’s remit.

UKRI particularly welcome proposals which support government missions, such as the Industrial Strategy , or are addressing domain specific research challenges in the following areas, where significant opportunities to accelerate progress through embedding AI exist: This is not an exclusionary list and proposals from other areas across UKRI remit including non-STEM disciplines are also welcome.

You are encouraged to frame your proposals in terms of: the potential for AI to solve the identified challenge the potential for AI to have an outsized impact and deliver impact on the domain in the near term how the area builds on existing UK research strengths how advancements in these areas will drive progress across government missions and Industrial Strategy sectors See more information about UKRI’s portfolio and strategies.

Collaboration with an AI expert You should collaborate with an established AI specialist or researcher. The collaborator will support your development and collaborate on the planned research throughout the life of the fellowship. Research organisations should support potential applicants in identifying suitable collaborators.

You are encouraged to explore the existing landscape of UKRI relevant AI research as detailed in the Additional information section to help identify potential collaborators. You are expected to have identified a collaborator at the outline application stage and worked with them to ensure the proposed vision is realistic in the AI landscape.

If invited to submit a full application, you are expected to co-create the planned programme with the AI collaborator. The level of guidance or support needed may vary by fellow experience and will need to be fully justified and subject to expert review. The support should be sufficient to enable the delivery of the ambitious AI embedded research programme and support the development of the fellows AI skills and understanding.

Collaborators should not have a leadership role in the programme and would not be expected to have significant time costed to the grant. Their role may evolve as the fellowship progresses, and your AI skills and knowledge grow. However, you and AI expert should build a mutually beneficial two-way relationship.

If based at an eligible UK institution, the AI collaborator should be included as project co-lead on the application. If based outside the UK or at an ineligible institution, the AI collaborator should be included as a project partner on the application. Please note that project partners cannot receive funding from the grant except in specific circumstances.

See further information about project partners . Only one AI collaborator can be included as a project co-lead on the application. No other co-leads are permitted.

The only exception is for job shares where there can be one project co-lead as the job share fellow and a second as an AI expert. See the Who can apply section for further information. The project co-lead would not be permitted to take over the operation of the fellowship if the fellow leaves the project.

End user partnerships and cross-sector collaborations You should build strong relationships and cross-sector collaborations with potential end users of your research to drive your research direction. This includes industry, policy makers, public bodies, charities and other groups.

It is expected that you will continue to engage stakeholders throughout the duration of the fellowship, for example by setting up an external advisory board to provide guidance and support, ensuring that the research is aligned with real-world needs and applications. Clear plans for engaging with new and existing collaborators over the duration of the fellowship should be detailed in the application on the UKRI Funding Service.

You should have access to one or more mentors from your host organisation who can support your personal development, for example in leadership skills, team coordination, and project management. Subject to renewal The Alan Turing Institute, the national institute for data science and AI, will continue to support all appointed fellows via bespoke cohort activities.

You will receive access to the Turing offices and be informed of engagement opportunities at the Institute, but are not required to work at or with the Institute beyond engaging proactively with cohort activities stipulated by UKRI at the time of the award.

Successful applicants will be expected to be an active part of the AI Turing fellows cohort including those funded through this funding opportunity as well as previous and any future Turing AI fellowship opportunities .

The cohort will maximise networks between different disciplines and institutions, enhance individual growth, create an environment for sharing research and learning, foster idea generation and most importantly influence and drive AI adoption across disciplines.

Funding will be awarded on the condition that you actively engage with the cohort and in particular any activities or events like coffee mornings, annual events, showcase events and so on organised by the cohort management team. Upon completion of the fellowship, graduate fellows will become part of an alumni of the programme, supporting the advocacy of AI adoption in non-AI domains and engage through UKRI’s wider cohort structure.

Research outcomes and impacts You are encouraged to think about potential outcomes and impacts of your proposed programmes of work. This could include, but is not limited to, commercialisation, policy-impact, impact on other research domains, or supporting the work of public bodies such as the NHS.

You should consider how you may take advantage of UKRI’s broad support mechanisms, such as Innovate UK’s ICURe programme , UKRI’s policy fellowship scheme , and other council-specific impact activities. You may have the opportunity to commercialise or expand the development of your research outcomes for potential commercialisation.

As your programme matures, you will be linked with ICURe to assess the commercialisation and impact creation potential (subject to funding). ICURe provide access to training and development for equipping researchers with essential commercialisation skills and receiving an early indication of whether their research project is best suited for a spin-out or licence agreement.

Monitoring and evaluation You will be required to provide key monitoring information as part of the award.

The mandatory monitoring will be confirmed at the start of the award but will include: six monthly updates focused on key outputs and outcomes annual reports focused on progress against fellowship aims, key outputs, outcomes, and impacts, future plans and financial reporting final report detailing key outputs, outcomes, and impacts contributing to and participating in a final evaluation of the overall programme standard Researchfish reporting Compliance with reporting will be part of the grant terms and conditions.

UKRI reserves the right to request additional information as deemed necessary for monitoring evaluation purposes, including initiating mid-term reviews of individual grants if required. If you work part time, you can hold your Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowship part time as well, at a minimal level of 50% full time equivalent.

In these circumstances, the duration of your fellowship can be extended proportionally to a maximum duration of six years. If you do not work part time, you may hold our fellowship for between 50% and 100% of your time. However, the total fellowship duration will be fixed at three years.

This must be clearly justified in your application as the fellowship should be the fellow’s main research focus. Whether part time or full time, you may start your award with less than 50% FTE but should ramp up your commitment to a minimum of 50% FTE within six months of the award start date. You should design an appropriate variable time commitment over the duration of the award to deliver your research vision.

Additionally, you should plan your work packages to accommodate for any potential delays in recruiting postdoctoral researchers where necessary. Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) EDI enriches diversity of thought, builds stronger perspectives and performance within organisations and communities, and fosters more innovative and creative approaches.

This is particularly pertinent in AI, as AI algorithms impact people’s lives and therefore risk exacerbating existing inequalities in society. By having a diverse AI community and workforce, the design and development of algorithms will be less likely to reflect the inherent biases of a majority group.

Furthermore, investing in a diverse array of fellows of different genders, ethnicities, backgrounds and career paths will enable greater diversity of thought and approach in AI that is key to the development of creative new AI technologies and a sustainable UK AI ecosystem. The long-term strength of the UK research base depends on harnessing all the available talent.

UKRI expects that EDI is embedded at all levels and in all aspects of research practice and funding policy. We are committed to supporting the research community, offering a range of flexible options which allow applicants to design a package that fits their research goals, career and personal circumstances. This includes career breaks, support for people with caring responsibilities, flexible working and alternative working patterns.

For this funding opportunity, joint applications on a job-share basis are permitted. If your application is a proposed job-share, please state this where relevant in your application and set out your proposed arrangements in the ‘Applicant capability to deliver’ and ‘Career development’ sections.

Only one applicant for any joint applications should be listed as ‘fellow’ and the other as ‘project co-lead’ in the Funding Service, as the Funding Service functionality does not support both applicants to be listed as ‘fellow’. UKRI will recognise both applicants as ‘fellow’.

The team should choose one of the fellows’ organisations to be responsible for submitting the grant application and administering the grant should the application be successful. Expert review is central to UKRI funding decisions. We require expert advice and robust decision-making processes for all UKRI funding initiatives.

We are committed to ensuring that fairness is fully reflected in all our funding processes by advancing policy which supports equality, diversity and inclusion. For further information, please see our EDI webpages . For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

The duration of this award is 36 months. Projects must start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be up to £2,187,500.

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. You are expected to request a tailored package of resources, designed in partnership with your host organisation and partners, to enable you to achieve the objectives of your research agenda. The fellowship will provide salary support.

Support for studentships through this investment will not be permitted, in line with other UKRI research grants. Student engagement should be realised through host organisation or stakeholder support, or collaboration with other training investments in the UK landscape such as the UKRI AI centres for doctoral training.

It is expected that resources will be used flexibly (in line with the UKRI grant terms and conditions) to deliver the vision and desired outcomes of the programme. The fellowship must start on 1 October 2026, and no extensions will be given for delays in the appointment of staff. Therefore, when preparing the application, recruitment time should be taken into consideration.

That is, if it is estimated that it will take six months to recruit a research and innovation associate (RIA)(was PDRA), then only 30 months of RIA time should be requested. Only if there is a RIA or staff member ready to start at the beginning of the fellowship, should you apply for the full three years (36 months) of time.

Please note that, due to the nature of this funding, grant extensions will only be considered under exceptional circumstances, in line with the Equality Act 2010, and will require UKRI agreement on a case-by-case basis.

The research organisation remains responsible for compliance with the terms of the Equality Act 2010, including any subsequent amendments introduced while work is in progress, and for ensuring that the expectations set out in the UKRI statement of expectations for equality and diversity are met. See further information on allowable costs .

Compute, data and equipment Access to compute is a key enabling factor for the fellowships and is an allowable expenditure under the grant. You are expected to build plans for access into your programme and allocate funding as appropriate.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UKRI can confirm up to 6,000,000 (GPU) hours are available specifically to the Pioneer fellows’ cohort over the duration of the three year scholarship programme. This is equivalent to 500,000 GPU hours per fellow.

You must complete an expression of interest for AI research resource , detailing expected usage over the life of the fellowship by 24 February 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. Details provided in this form will not be formally assessed and will only be used for the purposes of AI research resource (AIRR) allocation planning. and will only be used for the purposes of AIRR allocation planning.

Successful fellows who wish to request access to compute resource via the AIRR, will be required to complete compliance forms and provide an estimate of compute requirements for the full three year period before the start of programme on the 1 October 2026. Not all projects carried out by fellows will require the same quantity of AIRR compute.

The starting point will be equal access for all fellows, but awards of compute resource via the AIRR will be managed across the cohort, with unmet demand from one fellow made available to others as appropriate within the total 6,000,000 GPU hours allocation budget. The AIRR programme team will regularly monitor fellows’ utilisation of their compute award.

You will also have an annual opportunity to review research delivery plans and amend their estimated compute requirements for the remainder of their programme. Where AIRR compute is left unused for extended periods, fellows’ compute awards may be reprioritised to ensure national resources are used for research with the greatest impact.

All utilisation of the AIRR is subject to scheduling prioritisation to ensure system use aligns with His Majesty’s government objectives, such as responding to national crises or enabling large-scale research for public benefit. Where this prioritisation disrupts fellows’ workloads, advance notice will be given and support provided to reschedule usage promptly.

Before the start of their fellowship, successful fellows will be required to request access to the AIRR via the Gateway route . This enables fellows to access 10,000 GPU hours with which to familiarise themselves with the AIRR systems, schedule test runs and troubleshoot any technical issues before formally commencing research.

Further to this dedicated access to AIRR compute, pioneer fellows will also be able to apply for additional resource through other access tracks. You are encouraged to check the UKRI Funding finder for new opportunities for access, noting the ongoing Isambard-AI and Dawn AIRR supercomputers: Gateway route opportunity for short-term, small-scale compute awards.

All compute awards through the AIRR provide access to resources in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. In summer 2026, successful fellows will be asked questions to indicate if State Aid or Subsidy applies to their project. You will need to obtain access to datasets independently.

Project planning should outline how access to data and permissions to utilise data for AI analysis and training will be secured, where necessary. Equipment, between £25,000 to £400,000 per item, is allowed on this funding opportunity. Note that access to compute should primarily be through the AIRRs and existing infrastructure.

We reserve the right to remove equipment where unaffordable. For equipment costing £25,000 and above, three verbal quotes should be detailed in the resources and cost justification. Written quotes are not required as part of the application, but we reserve the right to request them later, prior to releasing funds.

If there is a sole supplier or fewer than three (verbal) quotes this should be explained as part of the resources and cost justification. See details of how to include equipment in your application . Smaller items of equipment, individually under £25,000, and consumables should be in the ‘Directly Incurred – Other Costs’ heading.

See more information about EPSRC’s approach to equipment funding . Guidance for host organisations This funding opportunity is aimed at investing in established researchers without a background in core AI research, but with a vision for how the use of advanced AI techniques that could enable potentially transformative new avenues in their research and that of their broader community.

The host organisation is expected to provide appropriate support to fellows in order to enable them to build their profile, research activity and career. The host organisation should actively enable flexible fellowship pathways including secondments and collaboration building with cross-sector stakeholders and invest in developing the career and leadership skills of the fellow (including through providing the fellow with a mentor).

The research organisation is also expected to encourage and support the fellow in engaging with the wider cohort of pioneer fellows. Within their host organisation statement, the host organisation is expected to set out the strategic reasons for putting forward the applicant for the Turing AI pioneer interdisciplinary fellowships, and their intended approach to supporting the individual, their team, and their research activity to enable